Flower profile
Coulter's lupine
Lupinus sparsiflorus
Coulter's lupine (Lupinus sparsiflorus) is a flowering plant in the Fabaceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly February–April across the U.S.
Coulter's lupine is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. In Arizona it's most often seen in bloom in February–April.
*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.
On our lists for: Arizona
Quick look
Lupinus sparsiflorus is a species of lupin native to North America. In the United States it occurs in California, Nevada, Arizona and Utah, and in Mexico it is found in Baja California and Sonora. Other common names include Mojave lupine, a name it shares with Lupinus odoratus.
- It belongs to the Fabaceae family. iNaturalist
- USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a annual life cycle. USDA PLANTS
- USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 5 states. USDA PLANTS
- NatureServe lists it as native to Arizona. NatureServe
- In Arizona, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in February–April. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 4,176 research-grade sightings of it in Arizona, ranking #21 among the 132 flowers on our Arizona list. iNaturalist
When does it bloom?
In Arizona, most flowering sightings come in February–April.
Conservation status
- Federal (U.S. ESA)
- Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. USFWS ECOS
- NatureServe global
- G5 Secure worldwide. NatureServe
- Arizona
- Not listed Not on Arizona Native Plant Law protected plants (Ariz. Admin. Code R3-3 Art. 11, App. A, eff. Feb. 2, 2025). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Arizona. AAC R3-3 App. A
- Rare elsewhere
- No other U.S. state ranks it S1, S2, SH or SX.
Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.
Can you eat it?
None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.
It isn't on the ASPCA plant list.
🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.
Where does it grow?
USDA PLANTS records coulter's lupine in 5 states.
recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded
See the full list of states
Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah.
Arizona counties with USDA records: Cochise, Gila, Graham, Greenlee, Maricopa, Mohave, Pima, Pinal, Yavapai.
Names, range and relatives
County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 22 counties across 5 states; the most are in Arizona (9), California (9), New Mexico (2).
Other Lupinus on Bloomipedia (5): Lupines, Texas bluebonnet, Sundial lupine, Lupine (large-leaved lupine), Nootka lupine.
More from the Fabaceae family (114 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): White clover, Red clover, Eastern redbud, Purple crownvetch, Bird's-foot trefoil, Partridge pea, White sweetclover, Common vetch.
More Arizona flowers
Sources
- USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile LUSP2.
- iNaturalist, Lupinus sparsiflorus: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Lupinus sparsiflorus (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Arizona: Arizona Native Plant Law protected plants (Ariz. Admin. Code R3-3 Art. 11, App. A, eff. Feb. 2, 2025).
- Arizona: Arizona prohibited noxious weeds (Ariz. Admin. Code R3-4-245).
- USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
- NatureServe Explorer, Lupinus sparsiflorus (global and state ranks).
- Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
- Photo: Jason Leduc via iNaturalist · CC0 · resized.